FDA
Orders Antibacterials Removed from Soaps
The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday issued
a rule banning
antibacterials in soap, which the agency said were no more effective than
simple soap and much more harmful for the environment and consumer health.
The
FDA gave companies a year to remove chemicals such as triclosan and
triclocarban from their products or take them off the shelves entirely, and an
additional year to get rid of ingredients like benzalkonium chloride, which are
less commonly used.
"Consumers
may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of
germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain
soap and water," Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for
Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), said in a statement.
"In fact, some
data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over
the long-term."
As
environmental and public health groups have noted, triclosan has
been shown to disrupt hormones and muscle function. And although the chemical
kills bacteria by breaking open their cell walls, the process takes
up to nine hours—so
it is ineffective when simply washing hands.
"This
decision by the FDA is a huge victory on behalf of human health and the
environment," said Environmental
Working Group (EWG) president and co-founder Ken Cook.
The
organization, which has offices in California, previously found "widespread" triclosan
contamination in the San Francisco Bay.
Mae
Wu, a senior attorney in the Health Program at the Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC), said, "Consumers have waited a long time for this sensible
safeguard. Banning triclosan in these products is a huge step toward ensuring
that the soaps we use every day on our bodies are safer."
"But,"
she added, "FDA also needs to act quickly to ascertain the safety of at
least two other chemicals (benzalkonium chloride and benzethonium chloride) in
these products that are suspected of posing serious health risks. Consumers
must never be treated as guinea pigs."
Many
companies have already removed triclosan from their soaps, after the FDA issued a separate
proposed rule in 2013 requiring manufacturers prove their antibacterial
products are safe and effective.